Marilyn, sorry to hear you are having such a tough time. I wish you had some help but glad that the neighbors brought you some dinner. Thinking of you and Jody and wishing you warmth and comfort.

Looking too for an update from Marilyn! Hoping things are better.

Unfortunately, the electric company cannot/will not do anything regarding medical problems when there are rolling blackouts. The power is on a grid, not an individual residence. Our news did a report on the 6:00 news about this. They suggested getting portable oxygen tanks.

Bless you, Marilyn_c.

oh, marilyn! you are obviously a very strong woman! i live in the country and know all about going w/o water for extended periods. many people don't realize how much even one person uses over the course of a day.

i'm glad you are able to see to your livestock and make sure they are as comfortable as possible. that's something else i'm all too familiar with and it can be a major struggle in this sort of weather.

hoping to see a break in all of this for everyone's sake but especially yours!

Sending you thoughts of strength courage and comfort as you face into this awful time.

((hugs))

Marilyn, thinking of you. You are a strong lady, know we care.

Whew, that’s a lot. i hope better weather returns very soon. Thank heavens for good neighbors. Stay strong.

Sending prayers your way and hope that you get better weather soon.

I'm thankful for your good neighbors. That's the way it should be, people helping each other out. Wishing you good luck with Jody and your entire household, both animal and plant!

Marilyn....I'm glad you, Jody & the animals are making it, with a little help. You have lived through some "stuff". Stories to tell....ya know. Hang in there. Wishing you well.

Wow that is a lot to deal with! Very very glad that you have your neighbor! Sending good thoughts your way. Hugs.

You are an amazing woman who is lucky enough to have a generous neighbor. I so admire you.

I can't even fathom what you're going through. You mentioned you hurt yourself outside--is it ok? I hope your animals realize how hard you are working for them. :) I know your husband does. Hoping your power and water(!) comes on and stays on. Very sorry you have to deal with such difficulties--most people would not handle it so well.

Marilyn, I'm praying for you and Jody. May God bless your wonderful neighbor for helping you get through this awful time.

We still have power and water, but we have snow on top of ice, with more snow and ice coming, so who knows what will happen.

Take care, Marilyn, and don't be too proud to ask for help. Neighbors are good souls to have. Hopefully you can one day return the favors. May you and Jody come through these difficulties soon and the animals too.

(((((Marilyn and Jody)))) wish the hugs were real.

I hope this storm is over really quickly for you and everyone caught up in it.

Sjerin, I didn't get hurt the last 2 times I slipped down, but about a month ago, I went out to the "new" barn.....we call it the garage, but it is anything but, and I tripped over a big pine tree root and fell, landing on another pine tree root, and hit just under my breast and fractured a rib. We have about 3 acres in the yard and at least 50 big, 40 yr old pine trees. It was at dark and I didn't have a flashlight with me. I was walking along oblivious to the world. Now I just creep along....and carry a flashlight. I had thought the light from the porch and the garage would be adequate.

It is very stressful taking care of my husband. He literally cannot do anything for himself. I am not feeling sorry for myself....I know it is much worse for him. But I have had to take on responsibilities that I never had to do before.

This morning, 3 of the horses and the mule were out. I forgot to put the chain on the gate last night when I was checking on their water trough. I can't tell you how often that has happened. My mind is shot.

I was out of gas for the generator and the neighbor across the road hasn't shown up. I hesitate to call him because he is diabetic and hasn't felt well the last couple of days, so I called a guy that works for me sometimes and asked him to come by if he could and take me into town, if anything is open.

He hadn't shown up but another rancher neighbor showed up and asked me if I needed anything. He had bought extra gas to help out anyone who needed it. He put gas in my generator and left to go to town (Lufkin) where he might find some place open to get more.

The people here are all so kind. It is quite a switch from living next to a meth addict, when I lived on the bayou. I do have one crazy neighbor who fried her brain years ago on crack or meth or something. I am nice to her but I can't let her get too close because she tells some outlandish stories.

So the guy from down the road put gas in my generator and started it for me. He left, but I can't get it to work right. Jody has had me out there a half dozen times to try this or that. We had power but it is off again now and he is using the oxygen tanks and going thru them very fast.

I am waiting on the guy who works for me, but he is always slow and late.

My truck is in the aisle of the horse barn. I left it in there because it has a load of hay on it. Not having had to deal with snow and ice like this very much in my life, I didn't think what a mess it would be as it started to melt. We are getting freezing rain today, but still the snow is melting. What a nasty mess. I don't know when I will be able to get it out without getting stuck. Until then I will have to rely on the kindness of other people, and I hate that. While it is kind of them, I don't want to take advantage of it.

Praying for you, Jody and the animals and for all Texans going through the problems of the horrible weather. Marilyn, LET anyone who can help you. I know you hate relying on help from others, but DO it.

Just a comment because you said your mules and horses have been out before. Mules are very smart and are completely capable of opening gates or even jumping over them. There was a man who had a pair. One he had to put a yoke on along with a muzzle type thing. If he did not they would go where they wanted to go.

My thoughts are with you and your husband and animals. Be careful out there. Read about Ashey Judd's horrible leg fracture tripping over a log in the dark in the Congo. Hope power is restored soon for you.

aka Stacey_mb

Marilyn, I hope the weather improves in your area and that things return to normal for you. It's good to hear that you're getting some help and hopefully it becomes more reliable. All the best for your and yours, and I'm thinking of you. Take care.

I will have to rely on the kindness of other people, and I hate that.

People WANT to help if they possibly can. I know you probably have done the same over the years, helped others, people and animals! The people helping know you are grateful. You are in my thoughts, Marilyn.

Wow-I don't know how you do it! You do it all because you have to , right? No choice. I can't imagine what you would do if you didn't have those troughs!! One of those flashlights you wear on a headband would be ideal for walking around at night-nothing to carry. Here's hoping for better weather ASAP. I'd gladly take some bad to even things out.I'm sure the gate being left open is sheer exhaustion. Hope you didn't have to chase the critters down too. Hoping the oxygen doesn't run low. Can you arrange more just in case?

Keeping you and Jody in my prayers as always. And all of the rest of you in Texas

Prayers, positive thoughts, and hugs for you, Jody and all your critters.

"Until then I will have to rely on the kindness of other people, and I hate that. While it is kind of them, I don't want to take advantage of it."

I can understand how you feel, but you gotta do what you gotta do. And chances are those who are offering their help are getting just as big a blessing from being able to help as you are from receiving that help.

Stay strong.

Rusty

You certainly have a plate full right now Marilyn. Let the neighbors help. Accept their help graciously, you would do the same for them if the roles we're reversed. I'm sure there will be an opportunity for you to pay back their kindness.

You have my prayers to get thru this very tough time. Best wishes for you, Jody and your animals.

Am praying for you, Marilyn, and for Jody, and your animals. Am following Texas weather reports, hoping for a rapid return to "normal" to warm up all of you!

So sorry you are dealing with all of this. I had replied to your post about the recliner but had no idea this was also on your plate. I willl be praying for you and Jody and all to prevail...easier times to come.

Marilyn, so sorry that there is so much difficulty in your life now. Please do ask/accept help from your neighbors. I know and I am sure those neighbors know that if at all possible you would be first in line to help them if they needed it.

You still hanging in there, Marilyn? I think of you often and hope somehow your situation has improved.

Just wanted to say I believe you couldn't possibly take advantage no matter what. You have been taking care of others and animals for so long. It is your turn to be taken care of! Let them take care of you for a change! Just accept their help guilt free. Big hugs to you Marilyn!

Here is an update. I am not sure of exact days, so will just run it all together. Our generator, which is just over a year old, and used very little until this storm, quit working. Power was still off and Jody was down to one full E tank and 2 others with just a little in them. About an hour's worth of time for Jody.

Once again, my neighbors came thru for me. Richard brought dog and cat food, and when he got here, I told him. The power had come back on that morning, but again went off. Richard told me to call an ambulance and send him to the hospital. He and his brother-in-law had already taken the generator to Richard's to try and fix it and couldn't. So I did, and they came but wouldn't take him because there was nothing wrong with Jody out of what is ordinary for him, except he can't breathe and had no oxygen source.

So Richard and the other neighbor who has helped me, Jake, like all ranchers around here have pipe fences and their own welding machines. They brought their big bottles of oxygen that they use to weld. It will be the first of the week before I can get oxygen from the health care providers. Meanwhile the lights came back on and have stayed on.

One of the EMTs who came told me in 38 years, he had never been called for someone whose oxygen requirements are as high as Jody's.

What I really appreciate is that both Richard and Jake stayed with me the whole time, for moral support. Richard's daughter shoveled the ice off my steps. Once everything was stablized here, Richard was leaving to help another neighbor who has an all electric house and he has a propane connection or bottle I guess, but his propane heater was old and no good, so Richard had one in his barn and was going to find it and take to him. I have a big, super nice one in the office in my horse barn, and my help last week had cleaned it completely, and I was not using it, so I was able to help someone by sending that heater.

In the process of everything else, managed to lose my phone. I walked this whole area where I have been the past couple days, multiple times, but could not find it. I figured it had fallen out of my pocket in the snow and would be ruined. However, yesterday when giving hay to the horses, I remembered when I cut open a bale the day before, some of the flakes fell and I had bent over to pick them up, and that is where I found it, in the barn, under hay....safe and dry.

Meanwhile hired the guy who works for me sometimes to fix the generator. It came from Harbor Freight and we went to get parts, but they were closed due to the weather. Auto parts stores don't carry what we need, but hopefully Tuesday he can get them. Meanwhile he is going to cut up all the many downed tree limbs.

And the water just came on this morning and it is supposed to warm up to 50 today. So things are looking up.

Thank you all for the kind words and thoughts.

God had taken care of you and Jody, as He has used you to take care of His animals and your friends. You are blessed. I am so glad you have such wonderful neighbors that do His work. Prayers are answered in many ways. I am so glad you found your phone. My prayers continue. Love you!

I am so happy things are looking better for you and yours. Prayers are being sent your way.

I'm thinking and praying for you and Jody! My goodness, what a mess. I'm so glad you found your phone. And looks like better weather coming.

Its good to hear that you have made it through the worst. I am glad that you have such kind and competent neighbors.

I don't know you, Marilyn but I've been thinking about you and Jody very often the past week. Your situation seemed tenuous at best and I was concerned when you didn't check in for a couple of days. I'm appalled that the EMTs wouldn't take Jody to the hospital! What did they expect you to do, knowing how badly he needs the oxygen??

Three cheers to your marvelous neighbors! I'm glad you were able to accept their help, hard though it must have been. And I'm glad you were able to help someone in turn, with your propane tank. What an absolute nightmare you've been living, your second in the last few years! I suppose you still have to boil your water, but that's a small price to pay at this point. Thanks for posting and very glad to know you found your phone. "...things are looking up." Great way to look at it!

This weather clearing out has been a huge help to many. I'm happy for you that you now have good neighbors. You do so much and you deserve it.

Water is back on and that is a huge improvement in my life and many others. I don't drink the water anyway....we have community water inside and the barn, but we drilled our own well since moving here and when we build a house will use our well. Right now it is just piped to the pastures and my waterlilies and roses. We drink and cook with bottled water. But it will be good to wash clothes again! I don't have a lot of winter clothes and everything is wet and dirty.

It has been very stressful. I feel like I am losing what little mind I have left. I went to the barn this morning to see if the water was on out there, and I opened Rita's stall to see if she still had water....went off and left the stall open. Since it also opens on the other side to the paddock, both she and Shadow were out when I went back out later to check on them. They were helping themselves to feed but fortunately the feed barrels were almost empty since I hadn't unloaded the feed I bought yesterday, and the donkeys hadn't gotten out too.

Then when I was scrambling eggs for Jody's breakfast, I got the package of cheese out of the fridge and laid it on the stove for a second...right on top of a lit burner. I hope my mind improves as the stress level goes down. I play about 30 games of 7 Little Words on my phone ap every day. I tell myself that is helping me.

Marilyn.....Thanks for checking in! Sounds like it's warming up in Texas. I've been watching for news online. ♥ I'm sorry Jody's health is declining. I'm glad you have each other. I hope things get back to "normal" soon.

(((((((((((Marilyn and Jody)))))))))))

Stress can make you lose your mind mind but calming down and getting lots of rest brings it back.

In the meantime take lots of calming breaths, eat very well, get as much sleep as you can and know we're all rooting for you! Good luck with the generator.

Big hugs to Richard and your other neighbours as well! So glad that they can step in and help you. how wonderful that you could do something in return for your other neighbour! Sending good thoughts to them as well!

Stacey_mb

Thank you for letting us know how you and Jody are doing. It's good to hear that your tough situation is improving a bit now and that you are getting some help. I hope that things settle down before too long and you can enjoy some rest and relaxation. (((((Marilyn and Jody)))) ETA user name.

I'm so glad to read things are improving. Please don't worry about the brain fog, it's the stress - and even those of us who have had less than your major amount are feeling it. Let's just hope that Spring isn't far away, in the meantime, if like me you have no patience for the little things that are coming up, try to let them go. And get some rest, hopefully wearing those nice clean warm clothes you've been able to wash finally. What a time you Texans have had, it's a good thing you are bred tough ;0)